Repetto: Key goals at key times pushing the Islanders to victories

If there’s anything to take from the last two wins for the Islanders, it’s that they’re getting key goals at the right moments of the game. Saturday night against Philadelphia, despite being dominated in the shots on goal department throughout the game, the Isles continued to convert on crucial plays to push them ahead early on. 

Take Anthony Beauvillier in last night’s game for example.

Beauvillier’s first-period goal came at an opportune moment. The opening stanza had been pretty uneventful for the Isles up until when Beauvillier was able to beat Flyers’ goaltender Carter Hart as Hart was initially playing the puck to the left post only for the puck to be passed over to Beauvillier on the right side. 

When moving into the second period, there was hope that the Islanders would become more dominant as they had done against the Washington Capitals two nights earlier where they took over the Capitals net and managed to get shot after shot on goaltender Ilya Samsonov. They fell short once again in this area, but they made up for it by gaining a two-goal lead through the few chances they did have. Once again it was Beauvillier at the advantageous moment who scored off a terrific feed from Mathew Barzal. 

Barzal to Beauvillier. You know what happens. #Isles pic.twitter.com/4sXfZVs96s

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) April 4, 2021

“We didn’t have the puck probably as much as we would like to tonight but we were playing good defense and making it tough,” Barzal said in the postgame. “Sometimes that’s just the way it goes with how we play. But you saw us, when we did get a chance, we were attacking the net and trying to find a play.”

Getting those kinds of chances proved even larger considering the Islanders let their two-goal lead slip away in the third, only to take the two points in the shootout on the backs of Barzal and goalie Ilya Sorokin.

It’s a good sign though that the Isles are making the most of their opportunities from an offensive standpoint.  Every game is going to become tighter down the stretch, as if they haven’t already. Goals are going to come at a premium.

And with how their attack is always looking for a bit more consistency, it only furthers the need for what they have received in their last two contests.

Follow Bri on Twitter at @RepettoBri